Electric Vehicles

Founded by industry “favorite” Bob Lutz, electric truck-builder Via had big plans. Back in 2015, the company had plans to sell 50,000 new vehicles by 2018– which, I mean, just didn’t happen. As recently as August of last year, in fact, Via was still talking about putting an electric pick up on the road “within two years“. But, before you write Via off completely, consider the following: they just got a massive cash boost from Volvo’s parent company, Geely.

Geely seems to think it is, anyway. You can check out the official Geely/Via Motors press release, below, then let us know what you think of Lutz’ latest news (and Geely’s judgement) in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

The parties have agreed to co-develop a medium duty extended range electric truck, which incorporates VIA’s industry leading proprietary vehicle software and systems control technology, for launch in China and the Americas in 2019.

Mr. Nathan Yu Ning, Zhejiang Geely Holding Vice President of International Business and Executive Advisor to the Board said “Geely selected VIA Motors due to the company’s advanced commercial vehicle software and control systems technology, specifically developed to meet the demanding duty cycle and performance requirements of commercial vehicles”.

“I believe that range extended hybrid drive systems are a leading technology for the next 5-10 years and the co-developed truck will utilize proven technology such as a Volvo engine for the range extender. VIA Motors provides technology plus an engineering and management team that can support GCV to accelerate to be global leading commercial vehicle company and assist the introduction of GCV Trucks into North and Latin America through our newly formed joint venture,” continued Mr. Yu.

“VIA Motors is honored to partner with Geely Commercial Vehicles. This agreement allows VIA to execute our strategy with the launch of an expanded portfolio of advanced drive systems and vehicles,” commented Peter Guile, CEO of VIA Motors. “We are excited to be working with our new global partners to electrify the future of the world’s working vehicles,” he continued.

“Geely is the ideal strategic partner for VIA Motors, as the fastest growing global vehicle company, with a demonstrated commitment to the electrification of their portfolio of award winning vehicles.” commented Bob Lutz, Chairman of VIA Motors and former Vice-Chairman of GM. “The alliance between Geely and VIA Motors combines technology, access to their industry leading suppliers, and a mutual entrepreneurial spirit dedicated to accelerating the global adoption of extended range electric commercial vehicles.” further commented Mr.Lutz.

Series organizers hope the new car’s unique looks help the series to continue to grow and, ideally, improves the show through better racing. One thing that will definitely help, I think, is the fact that season 5 will see the drivers finish the entire race distance in a single car, instead of swapping cars mid-race (something that, I thought, only validated concerns about EV range anxiety to the outside world).

One thing’s for sure, according to Dilbagh Gill, team principal of the current season’s championship leader Mahindra Racing, is that removing the need to scramble from car to car is a positive step forward in making new or casual fans take the series more seriously. “I think, honestly, the only real negative thing that anyone can say about the championship right now is that we swap cars,” he says. “Once that’s gone? There will be no negative.”

The look of the cars certainly won’t be a negative, either. Don’t take my word for it, though. Check out the official Formula E renderings above and below, then let us know what you think of the new Season 5 race car in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Usually, the “Gas2 Week in Review” is a summary of recent, important stories in the media about zero emissions transportation. Tesla often is at the forefront of these stories. The CNBC report about Tesla employees who divulged problems with Model 3 battery production and quality control absolutely caused a media frenzy this week, including at our sister site,CleanTechnica.

The idea to summarize, synthesize, and interpret the big stories about green transportation in the “Gas2 Week in Review” makes sense as a general rule, especially about EVs. We are near to the moment in time when EVs will have both a range of 200-plus miles as well as a friendly price tag. ICEs (internal combustion engines) are to be a thing of the past in major countries by 2040 — the US as the embarrassing exception unless radical changes occur in the executive branch. Big corporations are coming to the realization that renewable energy is a business opportunity, and stalwarts of the fossil fuel industry like Shell are opening up, asking, “How will the world produce more and cleaner energy to power our homes and fuel our vehicles in coming decades while reducing CO2 emissions that cause climate change?”

I saw real evidence of the epiphanies that are taking place around clean transportation this week when I joined in with the Middle East 2018 Global EVRT (Electric Vehicle Road Trip). I had a chance to get up-close-and-personal with an EV fleet which, for 9 days, traveled across the UAE to Oman and back to demonstrate the possibilities of electric transportation. With the fleet comprised of 4-Tesla Model S’s, 1-Tesla Model X, 4 Chevy Bolts, and a BMWi3, I was both participant and observer, driving my first EV as well as collecting impressions how the Middle East is beginning to think differently about energy production and usage.

So allow this edition of the “Gas2 Week in Review” to digress from its usual weekly format, please, so that we can explore some of the excitement, curiosity, and questions that arise when a new people and place are exposed to EVs.

GM is pushing forward with plans to produce a fleet of self-driving electric cars that are profitable, as well as sustainable. Can it be done? There’s a lot of uncertainty in the industry at the moment. And, one of the biggest areas of uncertainty facing the manufacturers of autonomous cars isn’t related to technology. It’s related to liability. Now, GM is being forced to find some answers in a California court room.

A motorcyclist attempting to lane-split in heavy traffic crashed while coming alongside the self driving Chevy Bolt, causing “neck and shoulder pain” that have “forced” the motorcyclist to take disability leave from work while undergoing “lengthy treatment” for his injuries.

To GM’s credit, the official DMV report seems to take the Bolt’s side. The Bolt, apparently operating in its autonomous mode in heavy traffic, stopped a driver-requested lane change from the center lane to the left lane because a vehicle ahead decelerated and the gap was deemed too small to safely navigate. While the Bolt was trying to re-center itself in its initial lane, the report says, the motorcyclist “wobbled and fell over,” while trying to lane split. The damage to the Bolt was reported as, “(a) long scuff on passenger side of the vehicle,” according to the same DMV report.

So- was the motorcyclist thrown off by the Bolt’s correction? Is it a cynical cash grab from someone eyeballing GM’s deep pockets? It’s hard to say, especially as it’s still unclear whether the Chevy Bolt in question was one of the company’s “third-generation” autonomous cars that were described recently by GM Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt as “the world’s first mass-producible car designed to operate without a driver.”

One thing that is certain: there will be lots of people in the industry who will be watching this case closely. And, make no mistake, if it sets a precedent against GM, it’s pretty likely that a big part of the much-promised autonomous future might not come to pass, after all.

With less mass than the Model S, the Tesla Model 3 has some serious sporting potential- and that would be especially true if the car was offered with the same dual-motor, AWD setup found in the ludicrously fast Model S. Tesla hasn’t officially confirmed that a hi-po Model 3 is coming, of course, but one intrepid Redditor found this image, above, which depicts a Model 3 fitted with two motors that are handily highlighted in red.

The image was found lurking in the HTML code of the recently updated (invitation-only) Tesla configurator. And, while several users have posted screen grabs showing a dual motor option listed that’s now shown as arriving “Spring ’18,” this seems to be the first photographic evidence that the car is actually, like, for-real going to happen. It’s not the only evidence an all-wheel drive Model 3 is coming soon, though.

Despite any lingering Tesla negativity I may harbor, however, there is no denying that a dual-motor Tesla Model 3 will be super, stupid fast. Maybe I’ll get Chris DeMorro to come back for a test drive? We’ll see- until then, you know where the comments are. Let us know what you think!

A crew of fire fighters responding to a traffic accident got a bit of a shock (Ha!) when the fire engine they were working from was rear ended by a Tesla Model S. A Tesla Model S, it should be noted, that was driving itself using Tesla’s supposedly “legit” Autopilot software.

While there were no injuries reported in the Tesla v. fire engine encounter- which is to be expected, kind of– it’s worth wondering how much faith we should put in all these autonomous car promises. Especially since, you know, a fire engine is a pretty big, pretty visible thing that the car should have seen, IMO. Even if the driver, admittedly, “wasn’t paying attention” to the road.

You can read the comments from the Culver City Fire Fighters about the incident with Tesla’s Autopilot crash, below, then let us know what you think of the company’s latest Autopilot fail in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

#distracteddriving

Engine 42 was struck by a Tesla while working a motorcycle down call on the 405 Freeway this morning. The driver reports the Tesla was on autopilot and he was not paying attention. Amazingly there were no injuries! Please stay alert while driving!

The Morgan EV3 is the stuff of eco-conscious gearhead dreams. The ultra lightweight trike is capable of sprinting to 60 MPH in under 8 seconds with a top speed of over 100 MPH. It’s no Ludicrous-speed Tesla, sure- but the bantamweight EV was always about motoring. And, for that purpose, it has no equal. Or, it didn’t, until Morgan launched this: the Morgan EV3 Junior.

As far as motorcars go, the EV3 Junior is as finely crafted as any. It’s not just an expensive Power Wheels, in other words- it features a carbon fiber composite body, real wooden dash, and hand-stitched, leather upholstered seating. The suspension, too, is made of high-quality bits that would seem at home on a high-end bike, at least.

You can learn more about Morgan’s tiniest electric terror from their official sales copy, below. Then, let us know what you think of this toy miniature motorcar in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

The Morgan EV3 Junior

In 2016, Morgan announced their first production electric vehicle. Capable of 100mph and 0-60 in 8 seconds, and still entirely coach-built, the EV3 has received great acclaim from motoring press and enthusiasts alike following its launch at the Geneva Motor Show.

Morgan continues to celebrate this new chapter in their manufacturing history by announcing the arrival of the EV3 Junior targeting aspiring young Morgan owners! The EV3 Junior is entirely handmade and features a carbon fiber body, wooden dashboard and hand stitched leather interior.

The EV3 Junior is capable of travelling at 16 kph (about 10 MPH) in forward, and in reverse at a limited speed. A choice of Sport Red, Sport Green or Sport Ivory paint, with black or tan leather, is offered as standard. Any paint color from Morgan’s range of 40,000 can also be selected at a small cost. Further customization is offered with fun sticker packs which can be applied and re-applied as desired.

Other features include working lights and authentic enamel badge detailing. Charging is carried out by the charger provided and takes 4 hours. An average range of 10 miles can be achieved depending on driving style. Morgan cars are known for being lightweight and small, however the EV3 Junior is smaller than most and therefore is only suitable for children over the age of 6. The EV3 Junior is (also) fully CE certified.

Despite having not launched a new electric or electrified vehicle in more than five years, it’s important to remember that Ford can be innovative. When it wants to be. After all, Ford invented the pony car when it introduced the Mustang more than 50 years ago and helped to create the modern sport utility vehicle when it put a passenger car body on a Ranger pickup chassis and called it the Explorer. Since then, though, Ford seems content to waft along, buoyed by the hefty profits derived from selling light duty pickup trucks to suburban cowboys.

The Ford announcement was viewed as a half-hearted attempt to keep investors happy while still cranking out fleets of F-150s and new Ranger pick up trucks. But the world of automobiles is not a placid playground where the profits go on forever. Entire nations are threatening to ban the sale of vehicles with internal combustion engines in the not too distant future- and, despite a push to lower emissions and fuel economy standards in the US, those same countries are ratcheting up their requirements.

Honda recently introduced an electric version of its PCX scooter. But this isn’t your usual, plug-in EV. The new Honda PCX Electric scooter features batteries that are designed to be easily removed when they’re spent and swapped out for fresh ones, so you can get back on the road and keep on riding.

Honda PCX Electric Scooter | Gallery

Companies like Renault and Tesla have toyed with the idea of hot-swappable batteries in their vehicles, with something that looked like initial success in Israel. Larger batteries with greater capacity and faster charging networks have largely made that need go away for car buyers, but urban apartment and condo-dwellers still struggle with access to charging ports- super or otherwise. That’s why an electric vehicle like this, with batteries that can be charged at home or at work, could be such a big deal.

Honda is set to launch vehicles like this, powered by a number of these “universal” swappable batteries, as part of a pilot program in Saitama, Japan. In addition to the PCX electric scooter, they’ll also launch a small delivery vehicle and a side-by-side utility vehicle as a sort of GEM-NEV competitor. Both electrified, sure, but combining other forward-looking technologies like automation and airless ATV tires. These, too, are based on production Honda models.

There’s no way to know, at this point, if the pilot program will be successful. Still, if it is, it’s easy to imagine technology like this doing for light EVs what it did for portable power tools. But I’m a bit of an optimist when it comes to Honda. What about you guys?

Do you think this is all just a bunch of CES hype that has Honda slapping a bunch of buzzword tech at existing products to make some cynical PR waves, or is Honda putting some real energy into this? Check out the other vehicles that will be part of the proposed Saitama project, below, then let us know what you think in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Honda Swappable Battery Tech

If you’re like me, you’re probably fascinated by weird, offbeat vehicles like the Twike (above). If you’re not familiar with it, the Twike is a lightweight, electric, pedal-assisted velomobile. That means you pedal it, like a bike, but there’s an electric motor in there to help you out- but it’s not cheap. Unless you’re in Sweden, that is, because Sweden’s version of the EPA just announced a tax rebate equal to 25% of the purchase price of an electric bicycle, tricycle, or velomo.

Yeah, that’s awesome.

Our good friend and longtime Gas 2 contributor/editor, Steve Hanley, recently covered Sweden’s new program over at our sister site, Cleantechnica. I’ve included his take- which was suspiciously Twike-free- below. Check it out, then let us know if you’d like to see the US introduce a similar plan to promote light EVs like the Twike, Renault Twizy, or the new Ford OjO in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

25% Off Electric Bicycles and Light EVs

Elon Musk likes to start at the top and work down. In Sweden, when it comes to EV incentives, the government is starting at the bottom and working its way up. According to Norwegian news source Elbil, it is now offering a rebate equal to 25% of the purchase price of an electric bicycle, tricycle, or quadricycle. The Swedish rebate program will not apply to self-balancing devices like Segways or hoverboards, but the article in Elbil suggests the Renault Twizy may be eligible. In some cases, an electric wheelchair or hand-operated bicycle may qualify for the incentive. The total amount of money available is limited to 350 million krona annually — about $12 million.

Any Swedish citizen who purchased a qualifying vehicle after September 20, 2017, is eligible. Payments are managed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and will begin after February 1 of next year. Unlike some countries where greed is a national pastime, Swedish authorities will monitor the market to make certain manufacturers don’t automatically mark up the price of their products to include the amount of the rebate. “Job-killing regulation” and “nanny-state socialism” at work, folks.

Sales of electric bicycles and similar vehicles are exploding in Scandinavia. Last year, about 67,000 electric bicycles were sold in Sweden and another 36,000 were sold in Norway. “Research shows that electric bikes replace cars,” says Karolina Skog, Sweden’s Minister of Environment. “Now there is a good selection of bicycles in place and the market has begun to evolve.”

She believes there will be more investment in infrastructure when more people begin using electric bicycles. Norway has already committed $1 billion to building new bike paths so people can commute to and from work safely and conveniently. A recent survey of Norwegian bicycle riders conducted by the Electric Vehicle Association finds that price is the main sticking point for people considering the purchase of an electric bicycle. Also important is more secure parking for bicycles in cities, where stolen bikes are a major problem.

Check out Kia’s official CES press release for the new Kia Niro EV, below, then let us know what you think of Kia’s odds against Nissan and Tesla in the comments section at the bottom of the page. As for the pictures- you know the drill: click to enlarge.

BOUNDLESS FOR ALL | KIA NIRO EV PRESENTS VISION FOR FUTURE MOBILITY

Las Vegas – January 8, 2018 – Kia Motors today presents its future mobility vision at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Under its new ‘Boundless for all’ vision, Kia will bring a future in which opportunities for mobility and transportation are limitless. To broaden horizons with its mobility services, Kia is also demonstrating a range of new technologies as part of its new ‘ACE’ strategy to make its cars more Autonomous, Connected and Eco/Electric.

“‘Boundless for all’ is Kia’s future vision – where everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the infinite value that future mobility will bring. This is Kia’s manifesto for its role as a mass mobility provider in the future. Consumers are bound today by the idea that a car is ‘just a vehicle’, but Kia is committed to providing a broader solution to mobility. ‘Boundless for all’ represents a future in which a vehicle can be so much more than the sum of its parts,” said Dr. Woong-chul Yang, Vice Chairman and Head of Kia R&D Center.

Kia’s ‘ACE’ strategy is based around three core elements, presenting Kia’s vision for future personal transportation:

Connected – By 2025, Kia will adopt connected car technologies across every vehicle segment, and aim to make every single model a connected car by 2030

Eco/Electric – Kia will introduce 16 new advanced powertrain vehicles by 2025, including a range of new hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, as well as an all-new fuel-cell electric vehicle in 2020

Alongside these technologies, Kia announced its plans to roll-out its ‘WiBLE’ car-sharing service – launched in Korea in 2017 – to new regions from 2018, starting with Europe.

At CES 2018, Kia is presenting a range of interactive exhibits which combine existing and future technologies. These demonstrate how vehicles could be optimized for enhanced connectivity as they become more autonomous.

Kia’s exhibits at CES 2018 hint at a future ‘Beyond Autonomous Driving’. Visitors can interact with Kia’s developing autonomous drive technologies through a VR simulator, while also experiencing a V2X diorama demonstrating how cars could connect with other vehicles and the urban environment.

The company plans to operate a large-scale test fleet for autonomous technology on public roads from 2019, paving the way for commercial production of the technology. Kia aims to commercialize Level 4 autonomous vehicles in smart cities from 2021 with a new Smart City pilot project.

“Kia’s connected cars will be both boundless and connected and offer a new kind of mobility experience. Virtual reality, self-driving cars, and ‘vehicle-to-everything’ connectivity were all once considered technologies of the distant future. As they rapidly become a reality, Kia is exploring how to deploy these new technologies for its customers. Our strategy and vision for future mobility is demonstrated by a range of interactive displays, showing what our customers can look forward to,” said Vice Chairman Yang.

16 new electrified vehicles by 2025

Kia will continue to expand its range of environmentally-friendly cars in the coming years, and plans to offer a total of 16 electrified vehicles by 2025, including a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) in 2020.

“By 2025, we will offer a total of 16 advanced powertrain vehicles, with five new hybrids and plug-in hybrids, five new battery EVs, and an all-new mass market FCEV. Due to launch in 2020, this FCEV will spearhead Kia’s efforts to realize a zero-emission future for mobility,” said Vice Chairman Yang.

As part of this strategy, Kia is exhibiting the Kia Niro EV Concept at CES 2018. Combining the stylish design of a modern compact SUV with the high efficiency of an advanced battery-electric powertrain, the Kia Niro EV Concept represents the next step in the brand’s ongoing journey to electrification.

Created by Kia’s design studio in Korea, the Niro EV Concept is a fully-electric compact SUV. Its aerodynamically-efficient body allows air to slip over, around and beneath the vehicle with ease. The traditional grille – no longer required for engine cooling – is replaced by a smooth interactive display panel, combined with ultra-slim lamp technology in the overall front. In profile, the concept draws inspiration from the current Kia Niro, with a modish compact crossover silhouette, elevated body and wide C-pillar. The Niro EV Concept’s seamless rear aspect has clean and sharp trailing edges allowing air to flow more easily off the back of the car.

With a silent electric power train, and the anticipation that such a car would be driven most frequently on urban and suburban roads, the Kia Niro EV Concept boasts new technologies to enhance safety for pedestrians.

The concept’s new Active Pedestrian Warning System (APWS) features a combination of front view cameras, object recognition technology and front speakers. If the system detects a pedestrian or cyclist crossing in front of the car, the speakers sound an alert targeted specifically at that person, warning them of the car’s presence. APWS is matched by the Niro EV Concept’s new interactive lighting system, which offers users and pedestrians a highly-intuitive visual communication with vehicle.

Inside, the cabin has been designed with a pure, minimalist and digital appearance, creating greater user interaction with new technologies and features. With a wrap-around design to cocoon the driver and passengers, the dashboard’s horizontal layout has broad and smooth surfaces. The effect is an innate sense of space and calm in the cabin, enhanced by the soft shades of silver, grey and bronze covering every surface.

The Niro EV Concept is powered by a next-generation electric vehicle powertrain, using new production technologies earmarked for near-future EVs from Kia. Energy is provided by a high-capacity 64 kWh lithium-polymer battery pack, paired with a powerful 150 kW electric motor. The Niro EV Concept suggests a driving range of 238 miles (383 kilometers), with zero tailpipe emissions.

Fisker may not be much for building cars- its last car, the Karma, was implied to be the worst car ever by Jalopnik– but the man knows how to draw a car. He can draw cars better than most, in fact- if not better than anyone. As evidence of his design talent, Fisker’s eponymous company has just released the car you see here upon an unwitting crowd at CES 2018. It’s called the EMotion, and it is gorgeous.

The electric, all-wheel drive Fisker EMotion offers a claimed estimated top speed of 200 KMH (161 MPH). The car also features a clever set of butterfly doors featuring flush handles that can be opened and closed with a smartphone app, likely ticking off more than a few CES journosaur boxes in the process.

Pricing for the Fisker EMotion EV starts at $129,000, but I think it’s safe to say that the car shown in the gallery, above, would probably be much pricier. The company is asking for $2000 pre-delivery deposits on its website (you guys might know how I feel about those, already) with deliveries set to begin at the end of 2019. Or, you know, just a few weeks before Elio deliveries start.

On December 27, the Shenzhen municipal transport commission announced it had completed the transition of its bus fleet to 100% electric buses. (Source: Han Ximin on EyeShenzhen)

The announcement that it had 16,359 electric buses will not come as a surprise to IM readers, as it was reported earlier in 2017 that the city would reach this target ahead of schedule. Nonetheless, it’s a shocking achievement. For context, imagine the bus fleets of NYC, Los Angeles County, New Jersey Transit, suburban Chicago, and Toronto all went electric — that still wouldn’t be as many buses as Shenzhen electrified.

The mega-city of Shenzhen is home to over 12 million people and it is viewed as a Silicon Valley of China, hosting many big internet companies, having a thriving startup scene, and hosting the headquarters of a electric vehicle manufacture you may know from this site — BYD.

This bus transition has been years in the making because in 2009 Shenzhen was chosen to be one of thirteen cities to be in a pilot program of new energy vehicles.

Shenzhen has been consistently pushing for electrification of its bus and taxi fleet. In 2017, Shenzhen provided subsidies for electric buses and charging facilities totaling 3.3 billion RMB ($490 million).

Shenzhen is a Huge, Global City

On the 9th of December, Bloomberg reported on the previous reports that Shenzhen would electrify its bus fleet by comparing Shenzhen’s 16,359 electric buses with American bus fleets, it came to this startling finding that Shenzhen has more electric buses than the 5 largest North American bus fleets combined (see chart, above). Although this might not shock those looking at America’s infrastructure priorities and China’s size and government priorities, that’s still a staggering difference in scale.

With a population of over 12 million, Shenzhen is also bigger than many countries.

Massive fleet means massive charging infrastructure. The investment into electric buses had to be paired with adequate infrastructure. Shenzhen has 510 bus charging stations that have a combined 8,000 charging points, so it can charge just under half the fleet at once.

At the Qinghu Bus Terminal, with more than 30 charging poles, the assistant manager gave a insight into its capacity. “A bus can be fully charged within two hours and the charging poles can serve 300 buses a day,” explained Guan Anguang, assistant manager of the terminal.

Big Environmental Benefits

It was reported that electric buses can save 72.9% more energy than the current diesel buses, which means that the Shenzhen bus fleet will save an estimated 345,000 tons of fuel per year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.35 million tons per year. The electric taxi fleet will save an estimated 116,000 tons of fuel per year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 453,913 tons per year.

Those are tremendous numbers. It should be remembered, though, that while Shenzhen’s electric bus fleet is huge, it is only part of a Chinese-wide effort to electrify buses. In 2016, more than 115,000 electric buses were sold in China. While Shenzhen is the first big city to get international attention, in 2018–2020, we are going to be seeing many other cities (in China) follow Shenzhen’s lead.

Tesla’s official Model 3 delivery figures aren’t out as I type this, but the people behind the Model3VINs Twitter account did release something that I found pretty interesting. It seems that Tesla requested to change some of the VINs from model year 2017 to model year 2018, leaving number 3,027 as the final “2017” Model 3 VIN.

VINs 3027-3840 were changed from MY2017 to MY2018 and check digit calculation has been corrected for VINs 3841-8362.

It should be noted that VINs are not a perfect indicator of total production numbers, but they remain a fairly accurate way of charting general numbers. The guys at Electrek know that, and rounded down, writing, “it looks like VINs up to ~3,000 were registered in 2017 and considering that Tesla skips VINs for some reasons, I think we can roughly estimate it could indicate that the automaker could have produced just over 2,000 Model 3 vehicles in 2017.”

While that “2000” might seem like a big number, it is just about 10% of what Elon Musk predicted he’d be able to deliver in December, alone. In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve embedded Elon’s hugely optimistic tweet from July 3rd, below.

What do you guys think? Am I being too hard on “the Doer, the Dreamer” by pointing out Tesla’s dismal production numbers for last year? Is Nissan just plain winning this thing? Is this kind of hiccup just normal on your way to becoming a world-beating ultra-mega conglomerate of cars, trucks, and- rocket ships, I guess? Fire up your Gravatar and let us know if you think 2000 cars counts as a win in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

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The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.

The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.